


Good Foobiverse discussions from our sister sites

by MrToddWilkins (orphan_account)



Series: CompuNet Tales [3]
Category: For Better or For Worse (Comics)
Genre: Transcripts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:15:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22546882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/MrToddWilkins
Series: CompuNet Tales [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1583215





	1. Chapter 1

AJ 6/22/99 

I'm proposing for an "alt.comics.for-better-or-for-worse" newsgroup to be  
created. I can tell you that we are working on a new official web site and  
an internet campaign to help bring FBorFW into the internet community. We're  
hoping that there will be an increase in FBorFW discussion and it can join  
alt.comics.peanuts and alt.comics.dilbert with it's own dedicated forum.

nancy g.  
  


OK, so why is everybody here looking at *me*??

(grin)

Truthfully? I'll support such a group if there's really   
enough interest, although I'm not at all sure that there is,   
but I don't think I'd spend any time on it. There's only   
a certain number of hours in a day and when you take a   
general-purpose newsgroup like this one and break it down   
into smaller components like that, you lose people. Well,   
you'd lose me, at least. I love FBOFW, but not enough to   
subscribe to a whole newsgroup that's just about them.   
I'd much rather throw in some FBOFW comments here in a   
general discussion about *all* the comic strips, comparing   
and contrasting their various merits and talking about the   
characters and so forth.

But like I said, if there seems to be enough interest to   
merit the formation of a new newsgroup, sure, count me in.  
Although since you're talking about it being in the alt.   
hierarchy, you don't really *need* a whole lot of support   
to get it started anyway, do you? Just go ... do it!

nancy g.  
... and it's no secret that I'm a FBOFW fan from way back

James Moar

See [http://usenet.cjb.net](http://usenet.cjb.net/) for information and recommendations on creating  
an alt.* newsgroup.

It's not as much work as you seem to think - I could write and send a  
poor-quality group creation message in a matter of minutes, and a good one  
doesn't take that much more work. You don't need a vote on it, even.

However, I'd question whether you would get the increase in traffic you're  
looking for. After all, FBOFW is right on topic here in  
rec.arts.comics.strips, so why aren't these people posting here already?  
Also, I don't know about alt.comics.dilbert, but alt.comics.peanuts is  
very low-volume. Can you suggest why a FBOFW group might do better?

I'll be happy to discuss this further, either by news or e-mail (slight  
preference for the latter, actually).


	2. Chapter 2

Mary S. 11/15/02  
  


Hello, all you lovely people! I miss the groups -- Sproutkin is going  
EVERYWHERE and getting into EVERYTHING, and it's wonderful and  
hilarious and exhausting. I'm blocking out a chunk of Saturday  
morning (Daddy-Sproutkin time) for reading my newsgroups, since I have  
missed your wisdom for the last week or so.

I popped in because a friend and fellow mom of mine mentioned the  
whole For Better/For Worse thing (how they had the baby crying it out)  
\-- she actually wrote to the cartoonist, and she (Lynn Johnson, I  
think) wrote back personally. My friend forwarded me the message --  
here was the relevant bit:

"This information was researched by my staff, and many people in the  
medical field suggest letting a baby cry for at least 10 minutes so   
that the baby can learn to comfort and quiet themselves. Of course  
this is  
only after you have checked to make sure they are fed and changed and  
comfortable. This is also suggested so that when you do go to your   
baby you are calm and can be effective in comforting them. It is  
something  
many people I know did, and many parents still do - and all of our  
kids  
are fine! Please keep in mind you are only seeing a "piece" of their  
lives, not the whole story or every time Meredith cries."

I appreciate her points that a) we're not seeing the whole story, and  
the greater reminder that we shouldn't pass judgement or jump to  
negative conclusions when we see, for example, a baby getting a bottle  
in public or whatever; and b) that the egg timer may be the equivalent  
of the "put the baby down if you're starting to see red and want to  
jump out the window" strategy that is helpful for parents who are  
truly at the end of their rope (i.e., that it's necessary for the  
parent). The implication that a newborn needs to "learn to quiet  
herself" (she's only a few weeks old at this point) doesn't strike me  
as correct. Just thought I'd pass it on because it was relevant to  
the threads when I was caught up!

And I do think that mass-media influences like television shows and  
comic strips can have a positive effect on their audiences (for those  
who say that it's ridiculous to take this thing so seriously) -- I  
think it's great and Friends and FBoFW are being so great about  
breastfeeding, for example. So why should we not question these media  
vehicles when they portray and encourage harmful baby-raising  
practices, as well? Overall, I have to say that I'm *very* impressed  
and pleased with the way that FBoFW is approaching the baby thing,  
since as far as I know, it's the first major comic strip to embrace  
breastfeeding.


	3. Chapter 3

Nick Theodorakis wrote at 22:09:52 on 20 December 2006:

Comics Curmudgeon reader "Fizz" posted a "secret url" preview of the  
January 2007 letters at the [fbofw.com](http://fbofw.com/) site.

They seem to have come from url-hacking the printable preview versions  
of the letters, which I didn't even know existed.

Naturally, they seem to be about the fire.

Come and get 'em before the Lynnions start looking at their server logs  
and notice that people are acccessing them:

<<http://www.fborfw.com/char_pgs/michael/letters.php?page=january2007>>  
<<http://www.fborfw.com/char_pgs/deanna/letters.php?page=january2007>>  
<<http://www.fborfw.com/char_pgs/john/letters.php?page=january2007>>  
<<http://www.fborfw.com/char_pgs/elly/letters.php?page=january2007>>  
<<http://www.fborfw.com/char_pgs/april/letters.php?page=january2007>>  
  


Mike Beede wrote at 22:12:07:

Jesus H. Crap. It's just as bad as everyone imagined. I have  
a new theory: Lynn died a couple years ago and her staff has  
been trying to continue the strip from notes they found scattered  
about. I won't spoil it for those that don't Read The Letters--I  
shouldn't have done so myself except I can't resist the fun of  
reading something I'm not supposed to.  
  


I don't blame April for being pissed. That's her home. Let F. Shit  
Fitzpatterson and his wifey make do in the "rec room."  
  


The Bard-64 wrote at an indeterminate time:

And why has "Connie next door agreed to take Merrie and Robin for the  
mornings and Mom would take them for the afternoons"?


	4. March 15,2003

I was reading March's letters from the Pattersons on the FBOFW web site  
today, and something in Deanna's letter disturbed me a little:

"Hi everyone. I never realized how busy I'd be with one small baby! I love  
being a mom - but I do miss work. I really miss work when Michael comes  
home all pumped up about an exciting storyline or something. The only time  
get pumped these days is when I have too much breast milk! Not that I mind  
\- I feel lucky to be able to be with Meredith and nurse her. She is so  
sweet but so slobbery these days. She drools all over everything and  
everybody! Her crib, her toys, her clothing, her high chair and her  
parents are covered in drool! I think she might be getting a tooth - which  
means, it's time to introduce her to the bottle. Shouldn't be too hard.  
They've already met. Also, her first solid food was a banana. Note: this  
stuff won't wash out of most fabrics easily. Wash banana mush in warm to  
cool water - by hand! "

I wrote Lynn a letter and told her that I was so happy about the  
storyline, it would be a shame to quit when Meredith started teething--and  
thus play into one of the *biggest* stereotypes about nursing. I  
encourage you to do the same if you feel strongly about it--I know it's  
"just a comic strip"--but a lot of people read it and I think she has more  
influence over people's attitudes that she realizes.

InnZArin wrote:

Here's the letter I sent:

Dear Deanna,

The timeliness of you and Michael becoming parents parallels my own first  
child's arrival. I've been watching your daily trials with appreciation and  
understanding. As a first time, breastfeeding Mom, I've faced many similar  
challenges.

I was saddened to read in your March letters that you are thinking about  
giving up breastfeeding upon the arrival of Meredith's first tooth. So  
commonly, women on this continent are led to believe that breastfeeding a  
child with teeth is uncomfortable and that formula is a better answer at  
this stage. The truth is that breastfeeding a baby with teeth is no  
different than one without. Teeth do not have anything to do with a correct  
latch which actually ensures the baby can't bite down. For those occasions  
when baby does attempt to "chomp", corrective measures can be taken to  
ensure this does not become a repeated activity.

As a comic strip performer, your audience is a wide one. Even though your  
role is certainly not to advocate for every group out there, this would be a  
perfect opportunity to dispel just one more myth about the benefits of  
longer term breastfeeding. Did you know, for example, that breastfeeding  
over a longer period has proven to reduce chances of breast cancer, Deanna?  
Did you know that babies don't just breastfeed for their nutritional  
satisfaction alone? Research has proven that breastfeeding fulfills many  
social and emotional needs in a growing infant (and even through  
toddlerhood).

I know, Deanna, that this decision is yours and that you will do whatever  
you feel is best for your baby. I just hope that you will fully research  
all available options before deciding to switch to formula.

Thanks for taking the time to hear me.

A friend.


	5. July 8,1999

Aaron James wrote:

We're putting together a FAQ for the new official For Better or For Worse  
site (still under construction). I was wondering if any of you could assist  
us with questions. I know this sounds dumb, but I am so close - I don't have  
any!!! These will be answered and added to the FAQ.

Thanks a lot!  
  


nancy g.

One thing I always try to keep track of but can't quite is   
just how much of the strip is autobiographical and how much   
is completely Lynn Johnston's wonderful imagination. I've   
enjoyed watching Liz and April grow through the years because   
my own two daughters are each just a slight bit younger than   
their cartoon counterparts, and it makes me wonder about the   
"real" lives of the "real" Liz and Michael (and yes, I have to   
admit I was more than a little surprised when I found out that   
there is no "real" April!)

Of course, I imagine that's exactly the kind of question that   
the real-life Johnston kids probably never want to hear again   
as long as they live, right? 

AJ

To answer your questions, first off I can let you know that there are two  
books in the works at the moment. The first is part real (as in the current  
strip storylines), and part made-up back-history of the characters. It  
begins with the ficticious meeting of elly and john and their relationship  
long before the children (and the start of the strip), their life as a  
couple in Toronto and the beginning of their lives together as a family, it  
then progresses on to tell the story of FBoFW over the years, delving deeply  
into the "back stories" of many of the strip's storylines over the years -  
including a very indepth back-story of the relationship with Lawrence and  
his lover! To be honest, I've only read half of the manuscript so far. The  
second book is an actual Biography of Lynn which is in the works and is  
being co-written by someone (sorry I forget who...). Not sound like a  
salesman, but these two books will more than answer all your questions. I'm  
not sure when they'll hit shelves. They're just being written now.

The children, follow Lynn's kids by a 3 year-younger difference. The  
characters are modeled after Aaron & Kate, as far as mannerisms and whatnot,  
but our lives have been kept out of the strip for the most part (thank god).  
Mike and Liz lead very seperate lives! April is the 3rd child that Lynn  
always wanted to have... she'll spell that out in her book, I'm sure. The  
worst question people ask is "Is that really you?" The answer is no. It's  
Lynn. Her imagination, it's her childhood, it's all her "world".

Erica Ann Mullaney wrote:

I'll put aside my more uh, stringent questions and ask, who's that Gordon  
married? What's her story?  
  


The Archon of Augustvale wrote:

Tracy. Someone who, I believe, was around since the high school days. Maybe before?


End file.
